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New article on Spinoza’s concept of equality

Beth Lord’s paper on Spinoza’s concept of equality in the Theological-Political Treatise has been published online and in print in Epoche: A Journal for the History of Philosophy.

The journal article can be accessed here (only to those with a personal or institutional subscription to Epoche). An open-access version of the paper can be accessed here.

Abstract: Spinoza recognizes that in a democracy, ideals of freedom and equality shape our thoughts about ourselves as human beings. This paper examines Spinoza’s concept of equality in the Theological-Political Treatise, and considers its complexi­ties and ambiguities in light of his theories of freedom and democracy there and in the Ethics. Because Spinoza takes human beings to have unequal power, he does not believe we are naturally or intrinsically equal. Nor does he think equality is good in itself. Equality is good to the extent that it promotes human flourishing. The kind of equality Spinoza endorses is economic equality, which encourages human beings to become more powerful, virtuous, and free. I demonstrate this with reference to Spinoza’s discussion of the state of nature, democracy, and the Hebrew state in the Theological-Political Treatise and his remarks on charity, economic exchange, and their associated affects in the Ethics.